Monday, January 17, 2011

What's your pet peeves?

I wanna talk, guys. About what, you ask? You ask, because you want to talk, right? Not because you're totally humoring me. I knew it. Yay!

So I wanted to talk about pet peeves in writing/reading. You know, that reoccurring theme you see in a crap ton paranormal novels, that stereotypical character, that bad review that makes no sense, the glowing fangurl praise that doesn't make sense either, etc.

This is your chance to tell me what your pet peeve is about anything related to writing and/or reading.

10 comments:

I'm a little crabby today b/c it's been pouring rain here ALL day, so maybe my pet peeve will seem more peevish than it should, but I HATE the whole, "I love him. He's beautiful. He might kill me, but I don't care because I love him and he's beautiful" thing that happens in 3 out of 5 paranormal romance novels. I really wanted to like Hush Hush and Crescendo, but I couldn't get past that part. (Of course, will I read #3? Absolutely. So there's that.)

I also hate the phrase in queries when someone writes: she/he MUST....do whatever. I think it's weak and if I were an agent that would mean a form rejection every time. Of course I'm unagented. So there's that. :)

...Constant random and/or sudden POV changes. If handled right and --consistantly-- I can live with them and enjoy the multiple perspectives it's all good. However, you take me on a journey with ONE character, or even a few for a big chunk of the book and I'm happy with them, and suddenly you WHISK me into another POV for a few chapters (like, I don't know...the villain (biggest peeve of all)) I am righteously PO'd and will not pick up your book for another few months!

That and meaningless sad endings that give no closure, but at least I read through the entire book with those.

I don't like random pov changes. I don't like the I love you but your a murderer thing in paranormal romances and I really don't like the instant love thing. I mean, I'll read books where characters meet and are instantly in love but I'm internally snorting because it's so unbelievable. If you feel that way about someone the first time you meet them... it's lust not love. That being said if these characters knew each other before the books starts and suddenly see each other in a different light, then that's different. I'm sure I have more cause I'm picky but I can't think of them right now.

My pet peeve is when the book is in 1st-person alternating pov and the 'voices' of the characters aren't different enough from each other, so I'm totally confused as to what's going on and I keep checking the beginning of the chapter to see who's 'talking'. I don't know why, but that really bothers me - it just interrupts the flow of the story.

Hey There!

USA TODAY BESTSELLING Author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories....which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is the author of the COVENANT Series (Spencer Hill Press), the LUX Series (Entangled Publishing), and the upcoming YA contemporary mystery/thrillers DON'T LOOK BACK (Disney/Hyperion Spring 2014) and yet untitled book (Disney/Hyperion tentative Fall 2014).